As property appraiser, his salary was half his combined income from those two jobs, but the elected position boosted his annual state pension by nearly 400 percent — for life.

Not only does the job give him inside knowledge that could benefit his real estate investment firm, he also lobbies for Florida Crystals, a sugar producer some of his constituents see as an obstacle to stopping Lake Okeechobee discharges that pollute the Indian River Lagoon.

The newspaper's Editorial Board urged Pruitt to choose between his public and private sector jobs and published a "Pruitt Meter" counting the days he would not do so. It ended after 546 days, with Pruitt still in office.

When Pruitt filed for re-election in April, the newspaper began this investigation, which uncovered another conflict of interest.